The New York Rangers were not playing very well heading into their matchup with the St. Louis Blues.
Looking to find a spark, head coach Mike Sullivan made an unorthodox change to his lineup. Will Cuylle, who had played 264 games in his career, all on the wing, was shifted to the middle of the third line as center. He was flanked by Eeli Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
That trio had a successful evening , with Tolvanen and Cuylle recording assists on Bjorkstrand's goal in the third period. Tolvanen would score on the empty net later in the frame, giving him his first multi-point game of the campaign.
Along with that lineup change, Sullivan also had a new-look fourth line. With Taylor Raddysh optioned to the Hartford Wolf Pack and Luke Glendening a healthy scratch, Noah Laba took over as the center with Jaroslav Chmelar, who was recalled from Hartford , and Matt Rempe on the wings.
Nov 3, 2026; New York, New York, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Barron (72) hits New York Rangers center Matt Rempe (73) during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It was the first time this season Laba wasn't on the third line as the center, while Rempe and Chmelar had yet to skate together on the ice, rotating earlier in the season as the fourth line right wing.
In their first action together, the trio made a positive impact, drawing praise from Sullivan for how well they performed on the ice.
"I thought they had a really solid game for us," Sullivan said, via Peter Baugh of The Athletic (subscription required). "Labs and Jaro can really skate, so I think they add a lot of pace to that line. Remps obviously (brings) his size and his reach and his aggressiveness. ... They spent a significant amount of time in the offensive zone, they had a couple of scoring opportunities, but the biggest thing that line can bring to the team is just helping us create momentum with their physical play and just playing on top of our opponents, and I thought they had some really good shifts over the course of the game."
It wasn't a perfect performance, with Chmelar and Laba both being called for penalties in the first and second periods, respectively, but the physicality that Sullivan was hoping that trio would provide was evident.
As long as they can provide an impact defensively, this trio can be a productive one for Sullivan to count on consistently. What will get them on the ice for extra opportunities will be their offensive performance.
In 7:34 of ice time together, they managed to outshoot their opponents 5-4. Two of the chances they generated were categorized as high-danger, while the Blues managed only one high-danger shot against New York.
The expected goals for and against numbers weren't as promising, but overall, it was a successful debut for the new fourth-line trio Sullivan is turning to, with the Rangers coming away with a 3-1 win .
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/rangers/onsi as NY Rangers New-Look Fourth Line Makes Good First Impression .
